Okay, so she doesn't have a gun or blade, at least that we can see, but she is an eyeful and a sure sign of what spring will bring.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, February 29, 2016
Everyman's Evening Eyeful
Okay, so she doesn't have a gun or blade, at least that we can see, but she is an eyeful and a sure sign of what spring will bring.
All the best,
Glenn B
A Guy Walks Up To Me In Times Square Today,...
...maybe 45 minutes ago, as I was making my way to Penn Station. He walked up to me from behind, on my left side. I saw him just as he approached because I scan as I walk. He looked like anyone else in the crowd but that changed as he got abreast of me and he said:
"Can I touch you with black love".
I simply replied "excuse me" as I wanted to be darned sure of what he had said before replying and wanted to throw him of a bit. I did not notice any potential accomplices and just kept moving and ready. He then repeated those exact same words.
I replied he could not touch me with anything. He kept apace of me and replied:
"I am sure I could touch you with black love".
I again gave a simple reply and said:
If you touch me with anything, I will knock you on your arse".
He got the idea but as he left he also said:
"I was going to touch you where you can't be touched, you don't have to get violent. You should ask before you get violent."
I guess he mistook plain talk for violence; the truth us violence had not come to play yet. It almost certainly would have ensued with the appropriate amount of force to make him stop had he actually laid a hand on me. I would not have asked him a thing had he touched me after saying what he had said, I would just have done what was needed.. I was more than ready, already moving in a stance prepared to defend myself had he laid hands on me. Had he remained a moment longer, I would have told him that maybe he had better choose his words better or better yet that he just leave people alone.
One thing about this situation is that, while we were walking in such a large crowd, and yes Times Sqare is crowded during rush hours, he could have just as easily walked up behind me and shot, stabbed or struck me a blow and I would have been caught unaware. I scan around me as I walk but do not have eyes in the back of my head and tend to watch where I am walking even though I am alert and scan. Once I was aware of him though, I was immediaely on high alert and ready to do whatever in self defense.
All the best,
Glenn B
"Can I touch you with black love".
I simply replied "excuse me" as I wanted to be darned sure of what he had said before replying and wanted to throw him of a bit. I did not notice any potential accomplices and just kept moving and ready. He then repeated those exact same words.
I replied he could not touch me with anything. He kept apace of me and replied:
"I am sure I could touch you with black love".
I again gave a simple reply and said:
If you touch me with anything, I will knock you on your arse".
He got the idea but as he left he also said:
"I was going to touch you where you can't be touched, you don't have to get violent. You should ask before you get violent."
I guess he mistook plain talk for violence; the truth us violence had not come to play yet. It almost certainly would have ensued with the appropriate amount of force to make him stop had he actually laid a hand on me. I would not have asked him a thing had he touched me after saying what he had said, I would just have done what was needed.. I was more than ready, already moving in a stance prepared to defend myself had he laid hands on me. Had he remained a moment longer, I would have told him that maybe he had better choose his words better or better yet that he just leave people alone.
One thing about this situation is that, while we were walking in such a large crowd, and yes Times Sqare is crowded during rush hours, he could have just as easily walked up behind me and shot, stabbed or struck me a blow and I would have been caught unaware. I scan around me as I walk but do not have eyes in the back of my head and tend to watch where I am walking even though I am alert and scan. Once I was aware of him though, I was immediaely on high alert and ready to do whatever in self defense.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Jumping Jehosaphat Batman...
...tomorrow is leap day meaning this year is a leap year. Not that I give a darn; I'm just saying...for no reason at all.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
We Are Home From New Hampshire...
...and made I back here in an amazing 3.5 to 3.75 hours, including about a 15 minute stop for gas and use of the facilities. The trip, either way usually takes us around 5 to 5.5 hours - so we were blessed today. It probably would have taken us longer if we had gone to the range and shot for an hour or two as we had planned, leaving later almost certainly would have meant more traffic. That is another story and all I'll say now is we went to an indoor range to shoot, were told we had to fill out paperwork that would take 15minutes to complete and then go to the back of the line. We were third on line, had about 30 people behind us, for a 15 lane range, and said screw it and left. Maybe more on this in another post, that is if I want to aggravate myself by thinking about it again. For now let me suffice it to say, we probably will never visit said range again and will shoot at the Manchester Firing Line when next we go to an indoor range in the Nashua/Manchester area.
Anyway, we had a great get together, Saturday night, with some folks we met at past bloggershoots up that way. We hope to see them again this summer for a bloggershoot (this weekend's meet was just for dinner). We ate at a Texas Roadhouse and the food was excellent, best restaurant bought rib eye steak I have had in years, great service too.
On Saturday morning Brendan and I had started the day by driving up to West Lebanon, NH for a gun show at the Fireside Inn. Not a bad little show, they had some interesting guns for sale that I am not likely to ever again see on sale in NY as longs as the leftists rule here. Not too many knives and very little Nazi crap for sale. As a matter of fact, I don't even think I saw anyone selling jerky and that was a good thing as far as I am concerned. More guns percentagewise than most shows I have been to in recent years. There was a decent amount of reloading supplies on sale and a fair amount of ammo. Most of the ammo was way, way, way, way
overpriced but not all of it.
Getting there Friday night was not bad, I am guessing it took us about 5 hours and 15 minutes despite a good deal of traffic now and again. That was to be expected on a Friday afternoon and evening I suppose.
All in all we had a good time but I sure would have loved to have gotten in some shooting with my son. As he said, we saved some ammo, and as I see it - I saved the range fees to be used at another range where they appreciate their customers better.
All the best,
Glenn B
Anyway, we had a great get together, Saturday night, with some folks we met at past bloggershoots up that way. We hope to see them again this summer for a bloggershoot (this weekend's meet was just for dinner). We ate at a Texas Roadhouse and the food was excellent, best restaurant bought rib eye steak I have had in years, great service too.
On Saturday morning Brendan and I had started the day by driving up to West Lebanon, NH for a gun show at the Fireside Inn. Not a bad little show, they had some interesting guns for sale that I am not likely to ever again see on sale in NY as longs as the leftists rule here. Not too many knives and very little Nazi crap for sale. As a matter of fact, I don't even think I saw anyone selling jerky and that was a good thing as far as I am concerned. More guns percentagewise than most shows I have been to in recent years. There was a decent amount of reloading supplies on sale and a fair amount of ammo. Most of the ammo was way, way, way, way
overpriced but not all of it.
Getting there Friday night was not bad, I am guessing it took us about 5 hours and 15 minutes despite a good deal of traffic now and again. That was to be expected on a Friday afternoon and evening I suppose.
All in all we had a good time but I sure would have loved to have gotten in some shooting with my son. As he said, we saved some ammo, and as I see it - I saved the range fees to be used at another range where they appreciate their customers better.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, February 26, 2016
Here We Sit In The Tilted Kilt...
...up in Nashua, NH having some hard boiled, as opposed to soft boiled as it said in the menu, Scotch Eggs and over cooked but yet delectably greasy burgers, both topped with bacon and other assorted heart stopping stuff. We also are enjoying some tasty beverages, my current gout attack be damned. Other than that and most of all, we are enjoying the view, as each of the many mini kilted clad and very low cut bloused waitresses strut their stuff all around us. (How was that Phil, hope you are enjoying that mental picture.) Just another brew in Paradise.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Everyman's Evening Eyeful
While this one is an eyeful, she is a scary one at that.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Off To New Hampshire Tomorrow...
...for a bloggershoot dinner. It's not a shooting event but will be a good time anyway. I am not looking forward to the 5 to 6 hour drive up to NH but we will endure it because we are meeting up with some fine members of the shooting community for the dinner, all people that we met at the annual North East Bloggershoots. It should be an excellent time with truly good folks.
On Saturday, before the dinner, Brendan and I will likely get in some shooting, one of the rare chances he legally gets to shoot a pistol, at a range up that way. I am thinking of trying out Granite State Range this time around. We tried the Manchester Firing Line last time and liked it but this time we will be staying in Nashua, so want to try a range closer to there.
We may also try to head up to the West Lebanon Gun Show on Saturday or maybe on Sunday before we head home. Who knows, we may find a bargain on a gun and have it shipped to our local FFL.
I have got to end the blogging for the night and start packing gear for the trip. I also have to get ready for my oil company service technician who is stopping by tomorrow morning to fix an oil leak where the feed tube comes out of the tank or from the oil filter. I found quite the little puddle of home heating oil atop a tin of Russian 7.62x54R ammo when I did my ammo inventory just the other night. I want to make sure I have all the ammo cans out of his way, and out of his sight, before he gets here.
All the best,
Glenn B
On Saturday, before the dinner, Brendan and I will likely get in some shooting, one of the rare chances he legally gets to shoot a pistol, at a range up that way. I am thinking of trying out Granite State Range this time around. We tried the Manchester Firing Line last time and liked it but this time we will be staying in Nashua, so want to try a range closer to there.
We may also try to head up to the West Lebanon Gun Show on Saturday or maybe on Sunday before we head home. Who knows, we may find a bargain on a gun and have it shipped to our local FFL.
I have got to end the blogging for the night and start packing gear for the trip. I also have to get ready for my oil company service technician who is stopping by tomorrow morning to fix an oil leak where the feed tube comes out of the tank or from the oil filter. I found quite the little puddle of home heating oil atop a tin of Russian 7.62x54R ammo when I did my ammo inventory just the other night. I want to make sure I have all the ammo cans out of his way, and out of his sight, before he gets here.
All the best,
Glenn B
I Enjoy The Variety Of Different Cuisines...
...and excellent selection of restaurants up this way; it is one of the few things I truly enjoy about living so close to the cesspool known as New York City. Then again, I think I could get to like the eats down south too.
Of course, with all the different cultural influences here in NY, we have adapted well. For example, there is a lot of fine Italian cuisine up this way and we enjoy things like this one.
While you may not think there is much road kill in and around NYC and its outlying areas, let me tell you that pigeons, starlings, sparrows, dogs, cats, mice and rats - with an occasional deer or turkey thrown into the mix - all go well with this delicious Italian sausage flavored pasta mix.
All the best,
Glenn B
Of course, with all the different cultural influences here in NY, we have adapted well. For example, there is a lot of fine Italian cuisine up this way and we enjoy things like this one.
While you may not think there is much road kill in and around NYC and its outlying areas, let me tell you that pigeons, starlings, sparrows, dogs, cats, mice and rats - with an occasional deer or turkey thrown into the mix - all go well with this delicious Italian sausage flavored pasta mix.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Everyman's Evening Eyeful
Hoping to see sights like this in Alaska, oh what a view!
All the best,
Glenn B
There I Was Thinking I Inventoried A Lot Of Ammo Last Night...
...and then I read this article saying that the U.S. has shipped more than 5,000 tons of ammunition to Germany. While I may have thought I moved around a few tons of ammo last night, it probably was closer to a quarter ton's worth. I cannot even imagine seeing that much ammo at once let alone where I would store all of it.
I guess we owe thanks to Obama for the largest shipment of ammo to a U.S. base on foreign soil in the past 10 years; that after he rekindled the Cold War single handedly. As a matter of fact, the article says the shipment was made in response to Russia's military actions. Thank you Mr. President, I had always hoped my kids (or any kids they may have) would not have to live through all the fears and concerns one has during another Cold War, but you made sure to screw that up royally. I guess the fundamental change you wanted for America included putting us back at least 40 or 50 years in regards to national security and you have done a fine job of it!
Come to think of it, maybe you have another motive, making ammunition almost impossible for loyal, rights and liberty loving Americans to obtain. Or was that just a side benefit of dropping us down several steps in our standing in world affairs and national security?
All the best,
Glenn B
I guess we owe thanks to Obama for the largest shipment of ammo to a U.S. base on foreign soil in the past 10 years; that after he rekindled the Cold War single handedly. As a matter of fact, the article says the shipment was made in response to Russia's military actions. Thank you Mr. President, I had always hoped my kids (or any kids they may have) would not have to live through all the fears and concerns one has during another Cold War, but you made sure to screw that up royally. I guess the fundamental change you wanted for America included putting us back at least 40 or 50 years in regards to national security and you have done a fine job of it!
Come to think of it, maybe you have another motive, making ammunition almost impossible for loyal, rights and liberty loving Americans to obtain. Or was that just a side benefit of dropping us down several steps in our standing in world affairs and national security?
All the best,
Glenn B
I Worked Feverishly Into The Wee Hours Of This Morning...
...doing an ammo inventory. For some reason, I found myself feeling miserable last night. I could not get a wink of sleep and was hitting the head about every 20 minutes or so. I decided that instead of just pissing the time away watching TV, (yes I was weeing about every 20 minutes, my water pill yesterday must have been overpowered or something like that), I would do something that needed getting done. So I inventoried my ammo.
There were at least a few times, when I came to my senses, and I figured I should stop and get some sleep, especially once it hit about 1:00 AM but then I had the overwhelming urge to hit the head again. So, I just stayed up and kept doing the inventory. It wound up that I was finally able to get some sleep at about 0400, maybe 20 minutes after I had finished the inventory. I figure that I inventoried everything in my ammo stores except what I have in a grab & go ammo can. I am not going to tell you my total round count but say that I am fairly impressed with how much ammo I have. Granted that about 30% of my ammo cache is made up of 22LR but while that used to be something frowned upon nowadays it is pretty nice to have enough 22LR on hand to last me at least through at least a few years of shooting. The rest of my ammo store consists of 22WMR, 32 Auto, 9mm, 45ACP, 223, 5.56x45mm, 7.62x39mm, 7.62x54R, 308 WIN, 8mm Mauser, 35 REM, and 12 gauge slugs, buckshot and game loads between 6 and 9 shot.
Gone are the days when I also had numerous calibers of ammunition for which I owned zero guns. I traded or sold off that ammo when the ammo buying frenzy under Obama's first term and early second term was ongoing (I maybe would still be doing it if I had any left over). Sometimes I kind of sort of almost regret having gotten rid of all the ammo in calibers for guns I don't own or ammo Brendan and I rarely shot. I had things like 380 ACP, 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 40 S&W, and a lot more 223 than I have now (I got rid of most of that in favor of 5.56x45mm). I don't think there is really a shortage of any of them now but the prices are so high now, I could have made out like even more of a bandit had I waited to sell them. Besides that, it was nice to know that if I ever needed any of those calibers, I had them on hand, I don't have them now though.
What I do have though, is a good number of rounds I actually shoot though my own guns. One thing I discovered, that I need to take aim at, is that way too much of my 9mm JHP ammo is pretty friggin old and needs replacement. I just ordered 500 rounds of Federal Hy-Shok 115 grain JHP rounds today as a start in that direction. Once I have enough of the newer 9mm JHP rounds on hand, I will start using the older ones as practice ammo. I am not all that concerned that the older ammunition would fail at the range but why take a chance with ammo that is used for self-defense. Some good amount of it has to be from the mid to late nineties, and one batch of a few hundred NATO spec rounds I have, and some small amount of JHP, is probably from as far back as the late eighties. Modern ammo is not like the old corrosive stuff that could last for half a century or more; the modern stuff is said to have a shelf life of only about 25 years at best (although I don't believe that but why chance it being right or not). Nowadays, I mark my ammo with the year I got it on the outside of the boxes. That way, I can shoot up the older stuff as I acquire newer ammo and not have to guess at how long ago I purchased it.
As for the inventory itself, man it takes and awful long time to go though a footlocker and numerous ammo cans chock full of sooty goodness. I was at it from around 10:00 PM through 3:30 AM. This inventory took somewhat longer than others, not only because of the amount of ammunition I counted but because I decided to make good use of Microsoft Excel. I am most definitely not an Excel master, not even half good at it, but I figured out how to do a passable inventory using it. I included columns for caliber, bullet weight, bullet type (such as FMJ or JHP), manufacturer, year of acquisition, number of rounds, and notes I felt should be included. Then I used an auto tally function for to sum up the amount of rounds in each caliber, sometimes even subdividing them more by doing it separately for JHP versus FMJ rounds in each respective caliber. Not only does the Auto Sum function add up the numbers but if you change any given amount to a lower number, it also subtracts and shows the difference. That way, if I shoot 150 rounds of 45 Auto JHP, of any given brand I have listed, I just change the inventory count for that particular brand of ammo by the appropriate amount and the Auto Sum feature gives me the new total number of all of my 45 ACP JHP rounds.
Now that I set that up spread sheet, my inventory process will be an ongoing affair each time I use ammo and the totals for each caliber will be readily available to me without having to do an actual count. That is so long as I remember to subtract however much of each specific caliber, type and brand of ammo each and every time I shoot up any of it. Hopefully I can get Brendan to do the same. If we do that, it is going to save me from having to do several hours of tedious boring work every six months or so.
All the best,
Glenn B
There were at least a few times, when I came to my senses, and I figured I should stop and get some sleep, especially once it hit about 1:00 AM but then I had the overwhelming urge to hit the head again. So, I just stayed up and kept doing the inventory. It wound up that I was finally able to get some sleep at about 0400, maybe 20 minutes after I had finished the inventory. I figure that I inventoried everything in my ammo stores except what I have in a grab & go ammo can. I am not going to tell you my total round count but say that I am fairly impressed with how much ammo I have. Granted that about 30% of my ammo cache is made up of 22LR but while that used to be something frowned upon nowadays it is pretty nice to have enough 22LR on hand to last me at least through at least a few years of shooting. The rest of my ammo store consists of 22WMR, 32 Auto, 9mm, 45ACP, 223, 5.56x45mm, 7.62x39mm, 7.62x54R, 308 WIN, 8mm Mauser, 35 REM, and 12 gauge slugs, buckshot and game loads between 6 and 9 shot.
Gone are the days when I also had numerous calibers of ammunition for which I owned zero guns. I traded or sold off that ammo when the ammo buying frenzy under Obama's first term and early second term was ongoing (I maybe would still be doing it if I had any left over). Sometimes I kind of sort of almost regret having gotten rid of all the ammo in calibers for guns I don't own or ammo Brendan and I rarely shot. I had things like 380 ACP, 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 40 S&W, and a lot more 223 than I have now (I got rid of most of that in favor of 5.56x45mm). I don't think there is really a shortage of any of them now but the prices are so high now, I could have made out like even more of a bandit had I waited to sell them. Besides that, it was nice to know that if I ever needed any of those calibers, I had them on hand, I don't have them now though.
What I do have though, is a good number of rounds I actually shoot though my own guns. One thing I discovered, that I need to take aim at, is that way too much of my 9mm JHP ammo is pretty friggin old and needs replacement. I just ordered 500 rounds of Federal Hy-Shok 115 grain JHP rounds today as a start in that direction. Once I have enough of the newer 9mm JHP rounds on hand, I will start using the older ones as practice ammo. I am not all that concerned that the older ammunition would fail at the range but why take a chance with ammo that is used for self-defense. Some good amount of it has to be from the mid to late nineties, and one batch of a few hundred NATO spec rounds I have, and some small amount of JHP, is probably from as far back as the late eighties. Modern ammo is not like the old corrosive stuff that could last for half a century or more; the modern stuff is said to have a shelf life of only about 25 years at best (although I don't believe that but why chance it being right or not). Nowadays, I mark my ammo with the year I got it on the outside of the boxes. That way, I can shoot up the older stuff as I acquire newer ammo and not have to guess at how long ago I purchased it.
As for the inventory itself, man it takes and awful long time to go though a footlocker and numerous ammo cans chock full of sooty goodness. I was at it from around 10:00 PM through 3:30 AM. This inventory took somewhat longer than others, not only because of the amount of ammunition I counted but because I decided to make good use of Microsoft Excel. I am most definitely not an Excel master, not even half good at it, but I figured out how to do a passable inventory using it. I included columns for caliber, bullet weight, bullet type (such as FMJ or JHP), manufacturer, year of acquisition, number of rounds, and notes I felt should be included. Then I used an auto tally function for to sum up the amount of rounds in each caliber, sometimes even subdividing them more by doing it separately for JHP versus FMJ rounds in each respective caliber. Not only does the Auto Sum function add up the numbers but if you change any given amount to a lower number, it also subtracts and shows the difference. That way, if I shoot 150 rounds of 45 Auto JHP, of any given brand I have listed, I just change the inventory count for that particular brand of ammo by the appropriate amount and the Auto Sum feature gives me the new total number of all of my 45 ACP JHP rounds.
Now that I set that up spread sheet, my inventory process will be an ongoing affair each time I use ammo and the totals for each caliber will be readily available to me without having to do an actual count. That is so long as I remember to subtract however much of each specific caliber, type and brand of ammo each and every time I shoot up any of it. Hopefully I can get Brendan to do the same. If we do that, it is going to save me from having to do several hours of tedious boring work every six months or so.
All the best,
Glenn B
Well So Much For Going To The Range Yesterday...
...to check out my recently acquired Mossberg 44 U.S. (a). I guess I was not thinking much when I posted that I would be going to the range. Had I given it a moment's thought, I would have remembered that I let my daughter use my car so she could bring hers to the auto-body shop. Her car was arse ended and is in need of some hefty repairs as per the estimate. While it looked from the outside as if only the bumper was smashed in on one side, the guy at the shop said the floor of the trunk is buckled from the impact. He also said the actual bumper under the bumper cover may need repair or replacement. I am guessing that will wind up being an expensive repair job. At least the women who drove her car into my daughter's car has insurance (well, she produced an insurance card anyhow). A police report was filed and the police did not want to hear anything from either driver, they indicated that the other woman was at fault for rear ending my daughter's car. That is a ray of hope, the woman's insurance will likely be paying everything.
The other good thing is that neither my daughter or he other woman were injured.
So, as it wound up I stayed home. I found something else to do though, I did an inventory of my ammunition. More on that in another post.
All the best,
Glenn B
The other good thing is that neither my daughter or he other woman were injured.
So, as it wound up I stayed home. I found something else to do though, I did an inventory of my ammunition. More on that in another post.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
I Think I Need To Go To The Range
I saw this and figured I had best go check to see if any of the women at the range has one or knows where I can see one in action.
I think that I'll bring along my latest Mossberg 44 U.S.(a). You know - just to see how I shoots in case no one has one of the above for me to watch in action.
All the best,
GB
I think that I'll bring along my latest Mossberg 44 U.S.(a). You know - just to see how I shoots in case no one has one of the above for me to watch in action.
All the best,
GB
New Blog Added To My Blog Roll
How have I never before linked to this blog? The blog I am asking about is Doubletroubletwo. I am not certain whose blog it is but I could make a fair guess because I suspect that I have met the blogger and that said blogger is an excellent person all around. I have to look into that to make sure of my suspicion. If the blogger is not whom I believe it to be, well the blog is worth your visits regardless since there is a lot of good stuff therein.
Anyway, the new blog will be added to the blog roll under TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, NOT AT THEM over in the Red Zone, to the right on my blog page. The web address is http://doubletroubletwo.blogspot.com/.
All the best,
Glenn B
Anyway, the new blog will be added to the blog roll under TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, NOT AT THEM over in the Red Zone, to the right on my blog page. The web address is http://doubletroubletwo.blogspot.com/.
All the best,
Glenn B
Cruz Gets A Well Needed Boost...
...from conservative economist of renown Thomas Sowell (source). I don't know how much this is going to help him but I would hope a lot. He is currently my republican candidate of choice, has been for several months now. I think he is a much better choice than Trump no matter how appealing is Trump's rhetoric. Yes, I could and would vote for Trump if he wins the nomination but I would much rather Cruz wins the nomination and thus get my vote. Hopefully Cruz and his people will be able to make something of this major endorsement.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, February 22, 2016
Biden Called On Bush Not to Nominate...
... a candidate for the position of Supreme Court Justice back in 1992. He stressed that a nomination should only be made after the November presidential elections later that year. So, why isn't he doing the same with Obama right now, why isn't he telling Obama that the nomination should only be made after the election this year! How soon these political arsehats forget their own words.
Check out this video, it is a priceless gem among the not to ancient artifacts of hypocrisy:
https://grabien.com/file.php?id=79098&searchorder=date
Hat tip to Bruce McM and Chris L for this one.
All the best,
Glenn B
Check out this video, it is a priceless gem among the not to ancient artifacts of hypocrisy:
https://grabien.com/file.php?id=79098&searchorder=date
Hat tip to Bruce McM and Chris L for this one.
All the best,
Glenn B
The Look On A Blonde's Face At The Moment She Is About To Reassemlbe...
...the last gun in the bunch and the realization strikes her that - she put a part for this one into that one but which one is that one!
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Were The 911 Operator(s) Negligent in Kalamazoo?
According to this article, Mackenzie Waite reportedly posted on her Facebook page about a ride she and her husband took in an Uber cab with a driver named Jason (who reportedly it the description of Jason Dalton) at the wheel. Jason Dalton is the suspected shooter in the drive by shootings resulting in at least 6 deaths and others being injured yesterday in Kalamazoo. According to the article, she also posted this on her Facebook page: "911 was called but surprisingly they didn't seem all that concerned...". In her Facebook post, she reportedly said that: Dalton sideswiped a car while she and her husband were in the cab with him driving and that he sped away at 80 mph and was swerving in and out of oncoming traffic.
If 911 was actually called and given all of that information, what was the 911 operator thinking if that info was not passed onto police. If it was given to the police, what were they thinking if they did not make an all out effort to find such a driver who was reportedly endangering the lives of the public by way of his reckless driving. Mind you, her Facebook post reportedly was made about a half hour before the shootings commenced. Had Dalton be puled over by the police before that half hour had elapsed, 6 lives may well have been saved and others who were injured would still be in good health.
I don't know what happened after Miss Waite made that call to 911, that she claims she made, but there apparently is more to it. Fox news also reports that another woman claimed to have called 911 about such an incident involving her. "Kacey Black said she called 911 to report the driver, but said "I felt like they didn't believe me. They just kind of laughed at me."(source). Now, they don't say if Miss Black made that call separate from Miss Waite or if she made the call on behalf of Miss Waite. In fact, the other article mentioned above only quoted Miss Waite's Facebook post as saying 911 was called, not that she called 911 herself. If however both women called 911 independently of one another, about two separate incidents involving an Uber driver, and if both of those calls came before the shooting started, then the city of Kalamazoo is going to have a lot to answer about how 911 and or the police handled those reports to 911. If it was indeed two separate calls, with both callers indicating that the 911operator did not seem to take the call seriously, it would seem to me that the 911 operator(s) will at the very least have a lot on their consciences for years to come and that the city needs to retrain its 911 operators and revamp how they handle such calls. Then again, especially if there were two calls received by the same 911 operator, and the operator did not take the calls seriously, maybe they need to fire that person and seriously think of charging him or her with some sort of negligence, after all 6 people died and others were wounded. Of course, all that is only alleged and thus uncertain right now but an investigation needs to swiftly initiated to get to the bottom of it and prevent it from happening again if that is truly what took place.
All the best,
Glenn B
If 911 was actually called and given all of that information, what was the 911 operator thinking if that info was not passed onto police. If it was given to the police, what were they thinking if they did not make an all out effort to find such a driver who was reportedly endangering the lives of the public by way of his reckless driving. Mind you, her Facebook post reportedly was made about a half hour before the shootings commenced. Had Dalton be puled over by the police before that half hour had elapsed, 6 lives may well have been saved and others who were injured would still be in good health.
I don't know what happened after Miss Waite made that call to 911, that she claims she made, but there apparently is more to it. Fox news also reports that another woman claimed to have called 911 about such an incident involving her. "Kacey Black said she called 911 to report the driver, but said "I felt like they didn't believe me. They just kind of laughed at me."(source). Now, they don't say if Miss Black made that call separate from Miss Waite or if she made the call on behalf of Miss Waite. In fact, the other article mentioned above only quoted Miss Waite's Facebook post as saying 911 was called, not that she called 911 herself. If however both women called 911 independently of one another, about two separate incidents involving an Uber driver, and if both of those calls came before the shooting started, then the city of Kalamazoo is going to have a lot to answer about how 911 and or the police handled those reports to 911. If it was indeed two separate calls, with both callers indicating that the 911operator did not seem to take the call seriously, it would seem to me that the 911 operator(s) will at the very least have a lot on their consciences for years to come and that the city needs to retrain its 911 operators and revamp how they handle such calls. Then again, especially if there were two calls received by the same 911 operator, and the operator did not take the calls seriously, maybe they need to fire that person and seriously think of charging him or her with some sort of negligence, after all 6 people died and others were wounded. Of course, all that is only alleged and thus uncertain right now but an investigation needs to swiftly initiated to get to the bottom of it and prevent it from happening again if that is truly what took place.
All the best,
Glenn B
Why Not Electing Trump May Trigger A Revolution...
"Why Not Electing Trump May Trigger A Revolution" could be an alternative title for the slightly dated article: WHO IS DONALD TRUMP (read it here). I say it is dated only because it was written in December 2015 when Jeb Bush was still in the running. You could easily substitute almost anyone else's name running on the Republican ticket for Bush's with the exceptions, I think, of Cruz and Trump.
The author of the article, Don Fredrick, while explaining who or what is Donald Trump, covers many of the reasons why The Donald is so popular at this moment. In other words, he also explains why the other candidates are not in favor. It pretty much arrives at the conclusion that the American people, a great many of us anyway, are sick and tired of the leftists liberals and of the RINOs who claim to be conservatives but who tag along with the leftist's in almost every regard. I think the author is spot on. Still though, right now, I am a bit more in the Cruz camp and I would rather vote for Cruz, at least if in fact he is actually is eligible to be elected as president.
Yet, I would not have a problem voting for Trump and Trump has become more and more appealing to me as the campaign rolls on. It's not because he is necessarily the best candidate, at least not in my mind yet. I believe Cruz to be better, but because I am really starting to believe that if Trump would do even half of what he has said he would do, it would most assuredly put us on the path to regaining the Great Nation status that America once held when it flourished. Yes, I too am sick and tired of the status quo of our current flock of politicians and bureaucrats who have been destroying America.
Thus, I think that Mr. Fredrick is right about most Americans being sick and tired of the same old political bullshit and I believe that he possibly may also be right that if we don't vote Trump (or at least another anti-establishment candidate) into office, that if the establishment wins, we are doomed. I'll take that a step further, I'll say that we are either doomed and that we will revolt if someone the likes of Rubio, Kasich, Clinton or heavens forbid Bernie Sanders, the free everything for everyone candidate, wins the presidency. No I did not mention Carson, who is still in the running, but the man would be chewed up and spit out by Clinton and probably by Sanders. He may have a good platform but he comes off as a weakling, a well meaning wimp at best.
My thinking is just an extension of Mr. Fredrick's - I believe yes America, as we know it is doomed if anyone but either Trump or even Cruz is elected. The thing is, I am also certain that Americans, at least a small percentage of us, will not take much more of the same old or even worse political pandering that has brought America to its current status - which is on its knees. I think that if one of those other candidates is elected, there will be a revolt before the completion of two terms and maybe even before the completion of one. It certainly is not something I want to see happen. The way I see it, only Cruz or Trump seem to be capable of stopping it while still being able to turn America around.
Maybe though, as Mr. Fredrick believes, Trump is the only one who can do it. We need a radical shift away from our present course and The Donald seems to be the only one showing any signs of willingness to take the helm and steer full steam and hard away from maelstrom in which we find ourselves today.
All the best,
Glenn B
The author of the article, Don Fredrick, while explaining who or what is Donald Trump, covers many of the reasons why The Donald is so popular at this moment. In other words, he also explains why the other candidates are not in favor. It pretty much arrives at the conclusion that the American people, a great many of us anyway, are sick and tired of the leftists liberals and of the RINOs who claim to be conservatives but who tag along with the leftist's in almost every regard. I think the author is spot on. Still though, right now, I am a bit more in the Cruz camp and I would rather vote for Cruz, at least if in fact he is actually is eligible to be elected as president.
Yet, I would not have a problem voting for Trump and Trump has become more and more appealing to me as the campaign rolls on. It's not because he is necessarily the best candidate, at least not in my mind yet. I believe Cruz to be better, but because I am really starting to believe that if Trump would do even half of what he has said he would do, it would most assuredly put us on the path to regaining the Great Nation status that America once held when it flourished. Yes, I too am sick and tired of the status quo of our current flock of politicians and bureaucrats who have been destroying America.
Thus, I think that Mr. Fredrick is right about most Americans being sick and tired of the same old political bullshit and I believe that he possibly may also be right that if we don't vote Trump (or at least another anti-establishment candidate) into office, that if the establishment wins, we are doomed. I'll take that a step further, I'll say that we are either doomed and that we will revolt if someone the likes of Rubio, Kasich, Clinton or heavens forbid Bernie Sanders, the free everything for everyone candidate, wins the presidency. No I did not mention Carson, who is still in the running, but the man would be chewed up and spit out by Clinton and probably by Sanders. He may have a good platform but he comes off as a weakling, a well meaning wimp at best.
My thinking is just an extension of Mr. Fredrick's - I believe yes America, as we know it is doomed if anyone but either Trump or even Cruz is elected. The thing is, I am also certain that Americans, at least a small percentage of us, will not take much more of the same old or even worse political pandering that has brought America to its current status - which is on its knees. I think that if one of those other candidates is elected, there will be a revolt before the completion of two terms and maybe even before the completion of one. It certainly is not something I want to see happen. The way I see it, only Cruz or Trump seem to be capable of stopping it while still being able to turn America around.
Maybe though, as Mr. Fredrick believes, Trump is the only one who can do it. We need a radical shift away from our present course and The Donald seems to be the only one showing any signs of willingness to take the helm and steer full steam and hard away from maelstrom in which we find ourselves today.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Just Re-Watching Last Week's Walking Dead With One Eye...
..on the TV and the other (yes I have two eyes as opposed to Carl's one) on the laptop. The show has me pondering if tonight's new upcoming episode could be any better than last week's. I have given it some thought and I have come up with the same answer I did right after last week's show was over. The answer is: Yes it could get better but only if Carl drops dead and turns into a zombie in this one!
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Everyman's Evening Eyeful (2nd one this evening)
Heck, it's Sunday night, so I figure I'd give you two this evening.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Once Upon A Time In America...
...the police would have been more likely not to have taken this guy prisoner. I am referring to the man who allegedly drove around Kalamazoo and who allegedly shot down and killed six people at random (source). Yes, that means, that once upon a time, they would have been more likely to have shot him dead and made sure he was dead as opposed to apprehending him alive.
I am pretty certain, that even in todays age of cameras everywhere, they in all likelihood could have killed this guy and had legal, if not ethical, justification for doing so. That is unless when they confronted him he literally froze in place. Virtually any movement of his hands, after a command of "police - don't move", almost definitely could have allowed any officer to have had reasonable suspicion, even probable cause, to believe he was going for a weapon and was a threat to the officer(s).
Times certainly have changed, sometimes for the better but not always for the better. I think one of the reasons that cops get shot as often as they do is because they hesitate when they have more than enough justifiable cause to use deadly force against another; that is due, I think, mostly to lawyers and politicians. Then again, its obvious, too many of them use deadly force when extremely questionable and even when not called for at all, that is due, I think, mostly to fear or unethical beliefs or poor training. It is a tough decision to make, one that often results in the taking of a life and sometimes the wrong life is taken. At other times though, I ponder if the wrong life has been allowed to live on - and this is one of those times that has me wondering just that. I am not making a decision either way, just wondering - for all I know they got the wrong guy.
I know that the police can't think like that when in such an encounter, at least not legally nor ethically. They need to think only along the lines of whether or not the person confronting them poses a treat of serious bodily harm or death to themselves or the other innocents. It can be tough, suppressing your emotions and not being judgmental, after chasing down and catching up to a guy who allegedly has committed heinous crimes like these but the fact is they are neither judge nor jury. It's not an easy job, not at all and either way they do it, they can lose; either by prosecution for an unjustified shooting or by being shot down and killed because they were hesitant to shoot first.
All the best,
Glenn B
I am pretty certain, that even in todays age of cameras everywhere, they in all likelihood could have killed this guy and had legal, if not ethical, justification for doing so. That is unless when they confronted him he literally froze in place. Virtually any movement of his hands, after a command of "police - don't move", almost definitely could have allowed any officer to have had reasonable suspicion, even probable cause, to believe he was going for a weapon and was a threat to the officer(s).
Times certainly have changed, sometimes for the better but not always for the better. I think one of the reasons that cops get shot as often as they do is because they hesitate when they have more than enough justifiable cause to use deadly force against another; that is due, I think, mostly to lawyers and politicians. Then again, its obvious, too many of them use deadly force when extremely questionable and even when not called for at all, that is due, I think, mostly to fear or unethical beliefs or poor training. It is a tough decision to make, one that often results in the taking of a life and sometimes the wrong life is taken. At other times though, I ponder if the wrong life has been allowed to live on - and this is one of those times that has me wondering just that. I am not making a decision either way, just wondering - for all I know they got the wrong guy.
I know that the police can't think like that when in such an encounter, at least not legally nor ethically. They need to think only along the lines of whether or not the person confronting them poses a treat of serious bodily harm or death to themselves or the other innocents. It can be tough, suppressing your emotions and not being judgmental, after chasing down and catching up to a guy who allegedly has committed heinous crimes like these but the fact is they are neither judge nor jury. It's not an easy job, not at all and either way they do it, they can lose; either by prosecution for an unjustified shooting or by being shot down and killed because they were hesitant to shoot first.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, February 20, 2016
One More Whining Conservative Imposter Down...
...since Jeb Bush has dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination. I could not stand him and am happy I will not get stuck voting for him for the presidency.
More here.
Trump has been projected as the winner in SC with Cruz and Rubio left battling for second place.
All the best,
GB
More here.
Trump has been projected as the winner in SC with Cruz and Rubio left battling for second place.
All the best,
GB
Going to Alaska real soon, Gonna be a halibut fishing tycoon... (forgive me Frank Zappa)
Well, real soon is more like a few months from now but since I have waited all my life, until this year for this trip, it is real soon relatively speaking. Both Brendan and I are going. It is going to be a trip of a lifetime for me; hopefully, Brendan will make some more trips just as good or better in the years to come. I just finished making and booking the reservations for the flight. I booked the hotel weeks ago as I did the rental car. I rented a large pick-up truck for the week. Was thinking of an SUV then found out they are all only 2 wheel drive so I opted for the truck; not sure if that is 4WD or not but don't really care.
I am also not sure if I am going to book any excursions ahead of time even though we at least definitely plan on going halibut fishing. The captain of a fishing charter boat emailed me tonight and told me that it is pretty easy to find a boat with an opening during the time frame we are going to be there since it is not going to be during the peak season. He said to just to call a day ahead of time. That makes planning the trip a whole lot easier on me because we can do this or that here and there without worrying about having to go fishing on a particular day. my guess is most things will not be completely booked leaving us plenty of leeway to do what we choose once there.
As for other excursions or activities, I figure some lake and possibly river fishing but probably more in the lakes than rivers. Most of the salmon runs in the rivers don't start until at least a few weeks to more than a month after we will be there. That's okay because as I understand there are plenty of land locked salmon and plenty of trout in the lakes an some grayling too. I also want to rent a skiff for a day of fishing in the local bays. I figure we will also do some hiking but that will depend on how much Brendan's tendinitis is bothering him. If not hiking, then we will do sightseeing via motor coach in Denali or just do more fishing or river rafting or zip lining or getting sloshed in a local bar (have to do that last at least once). Of course, I also plan to take an excursion to the fjords to see the glaciers and hopefully spot some whales and other wildlife.
Three essential things to make this trip complete for me, that I don't have right now and will need before we travel are: rain gear suitable for the fishing trip, a digital camera (other than the one in my phone) and a 44 magnum revolver (just in case for defense from bears). I can probably use my wife's camera, that little point and shoot job will be good enough for me. As for the rain gear, I'll probably get something fairly inexpensive like Frogg Toggs or similar (now that I think of it I may buy them up in Anchorage if Bass pro Shops prices are not higher than their norm up in the north country). As for the 44 magnum, I have a Ruger in mind but don't think I have the funds on hand. I will have to scrimp and save some for that; hopefully I will get called in for work several times between now and when we leave for Alaska.
I am pretty excited about the trip and I am pretty sure Brendan is really looking forward to it. We are going to be in Wasilla for couple to few nights and then in Seward for the rest of the week (yep, the trip is only 8 days long in total, including travel). If anyone of my readers has been there and has recommendations as to where to go and what to do within about 125 miles of Wasilla or near Seward, or better yet can recommend an excellent fishing charter outfit in or near Seward, PLEASE do so in the comments. I know one of you recommended Sitka over Seward, and I appreciated that and thought it over, but the logistics and added expense ruled that out. So Wasilla (for some decent nearby lake fishing, close to Anchorage for a day trip and close enough to Denali for a day trip or two) will be it for the first few days. Then onto Seward for the remainder. Heck, I am already wishing it could have been 10 days but for that I would need to hit the lotto instead of just getting the second mortgage on the house (only kidding about the mortgage, at least I hope so).
Now to do some more checking and planning on what else we can have fun doing.
All the best,
Glenn B
I am also not sure if I am going to book any excursions ahead of time even though we at least definitely plan on going halibut fishing. The captain of a fishing charter boat emailed me tonight and told me that it is pretty easy to find a boat with an opening during the time frame we are going to be there since it is not going to be during the peak season. He said to just to call a day ahead of time. That makes planning the trip a whole lot easier on me because we can do this or that here and there without worrying about having to go fishing on a particular day. my guess is most things will not be completely booked leaving us plenty of leeway to do what we choose once there.
As for other excursions or activities, I figure some lake and possibly river fishing but probably more in the lakes than rivers. Most of the salmon runs in the rivers don't start until at least a few weeks to more than a month after we will be there. That's okay because as I understand there are plenty of land locked salmon and plenty of trout in the lakes an some grayling too. I also want to rent a skiff for a day of fishing in the local bays. I figure we will also do some hiking but that will depend on how much Brendan's tendinitis is bothering him. If not hiking, then we will do sightseeing via motor coach in Denali or just do more fishing or river rafting or zip lining or getting sloshed in a local bar (have to do that last at least once). Of course, I also plan to take an excursion to the fjords to see the glaciers and hopefully spot some whales and other wildlife.
Three essential things to make this trip complete for me, that I don't have right now and will need before we travel are: rain gear suitable for the fishing trip, a digital camera (other than the one in my phone) and a 44 magnum revolver (just in case for defense from bears). I can probably use my wife's camera, that little point and shoot job will be good enough for me. As for the rain gear, I'll probably get something fairly inexpensive like Frogg Toggs or similar (now that I think of it I may buy them up in Anchorage if Bass pro Shops prices are not higher than their norm up in the north country). As for the 44 magnum, I have a Ruger in mind but don't think I have the funds on hand. I will have to scrimp and save some for that; hopefully I will get called in for work several times between now and when we leave for Alaska.
I am pretty excited about the trip and I am pretty sure Brendan is really looking forward to it. We are going to be in Wasilla for couple to few nights and then in Seward for the rest of the week (yep, the trip is only 8 days long in total, including travel). If anyone of my readers has been there and has recommendations as to where to go and what to do within about 125 miles of Wasilla or near Seward, or better yet can recommend an excellent fishing charter outfit in or near Seward, PLEASE do so in the comments. I know one of you recommended Sitka over Seward, and I appreciated that and thought it over, but the logistics and added expense ruled that out. So Wasilla (for some decent nearby lake fishing, close to Anchorage for a day trip and close enough to Denali for a day trip or two) will be it for the first few days. Then onto Seward for the remainder. Heck, I am already wishing it could have been 10 days but for that I would need to hit the lotto instead of just getting the second mortgage on the house (only kidding about the mortgage, at least I hope so).
Now to do some more checking and planning on what else we can have fun doing.
All the best,
Glenn B
Everyman's Evening Eyeful
A little something for the men that may become a regular feature of the blog. No, not her in particular but an evening eyeful of armed women for the typical hetero everyman to enjoy.
All the best,
GB
Friday, February 19, 2016
Man Openly Carrying Robbed Of His Pistol
Read the story here: http://www.dailypress.com/news/crime/dp-man-open-carry-gun-hip-robbed-newport-news-story.html
My guess is that the 'victim' had zero training in weapons retention, that he used a holster that begged for someone to grab his gun (in other words one that held the pistol in place with friction only and no retention devices such as thumb break snap) and that he had absolutely no clue about situational awareness or at least was not exercising it at the time he was robbed. Of course, I could be dead wrong on all of that. He might have had a holster with a retention device, been well versed in weapon retention and been totally aware of his situation at all times but I doubt it very much and regardless of all that - he was advertising that he had a handgun to be stolen by open carrying.
I think the victim's biggest problem was that he advertised that he was carrying. Even though I tend to exercise situational awareness (as opposed to what my wife would tell you) and even though I have been trained in firearms retention and have successfully utilized it more than once, and even though I was a firearms instructor (and still am so certified) and defensive training officer, and even though I carry in a holster with at least one retention device over and above mere friction - I rarely carry openly. For the record, rarely meaning usually only when at a range, hunting or walking around in my house. It makes no sense to me to open carry except when hunting or shooting at a range or in my home.
I live in NY, where open carry is mostly forbidden. Yet, even if I lived in Arizona, Alaska, New Hampshire or other places where it is legal to carry openly, I probably would not do so. I prefer that pistol be my ace in the hole and a big surprise that gives me the winning hand when I show it and if need be shoot it. I don't need to advertise to the world that I have it, at any given time, nor do I want to show it off and tempt others to take it away from me or to act like arsehats because I am carrying. That's because anyone can be jumped at any time and caught unaware, especially in urban situations where you are used to a lot of people around you. Even those of us with weapons retention training, who have a holster with a retention device or two, sometimes could have a weapon taken away from us if accosted by surprise, and or by someone stronger, and or by multiple assailants. Why give them an advantage or the temptation by letting them know you have a gun with you. I seriously doubt that you walk around with hundreds of dollars in plain view just begging to be robbed so why do likewise with a pistol.
Keeping your handgun concealed when legal, as opposed to open carrying and letting the world see it, is not always going to keep it from being taken away from you but it goes a long way toward them not trying to take it simply because they don't know you have it. Concealment is not the only thing that will help assure you retain your firearm but it is a good one. While there is no perfect solution, no end all be all method of perfect weapon retention, there are some other things that will help assure you keep retention of it. They are: carrying it in a high quality belt (not a clip on) holster with at least one or more retention devices, securing the holster to your person with a strong high quality belt, getting trained in (and practicing) weapon retention, and learning about and trying to maintain situational awareness so you can either avoid potential dangerous situations or at least be ready for them if you cannot avoid them. Having the right mindset, one that will actually lead you to accomplish all of the things I just mentioned is a good place to start.
Now, if you want to have a different mindset and whine, bitch and moan that all this is not for you but is just bullshit being spouted off by me - well, that's okay by me. If you wind up like Joe Knowitall Arsehat and have your gun stolen, or worse yet have it taken away and are then killed with it, I may shed a tear. Then again, you could have saved me that tear and you might have survived if only you hadn't known better.
Believe me when I say this, I do not give advice like this lightly, nor as a know-it-all gun guru or as a smugly superior former LEO nor as an elitist firearms instructor. I am none of those but I do give advice like this as someone in the know who has been there and done that - more than once. In other words, I have been lucky enough to have been in fights for my life, multiple times, where gun retention was the key to my survival because the bad guys were trying to take my gun away from me and kill me with it. I know that for a fact in one instance because that is what the defendant told the judge when he went to trial and then received time served and was deported by a leftist federal judge out in CA. I know for a fact in the other case because they kept telling me they were going to kill me and they tried their best to get that done.
I have the bite scar on my arm where the one tonk bit me after he failed to get my revolver away from me in my Border Patrol days. Another time I had at least five assailants kicking the crap out of me (they fractured my sternum and probably snapped my zyphoid process) as they took a handcuffed prisoner away from me and almost dragged me into Mexico because my arm somehow got tangled in the cuffs. That I am still here to write about it should tell you something and I am telling you it is because I held onto my gun.
Why is it I was able to hold onto my revolver in each of those instances? Well, because I was wearing a retention holster, was trained in firearms retention and practiced it, and had the mindset to fight like a mule and come out as the winner. Had my attackers not known where my gun was located because it had been concealed, I probably would have been even better off to begin with but I was obligated to open carry for my job. Man that was way back when and I am here today because they couldn't get it away from me. I've had other encounters where criminals and arsehats tried to take it from me even though it was concealed and in each of those cases they never came really close to getting it because it had been concealed.
So, as far as you taking my advice goes, don't take it as perfect. Anything I can say on the subject is not a failsafe and bad shit can still happen to you even if you do everything I recommended. The thing about it is though - that advice can also give you the winning edge. Take it or leave it, it is up to you. If you don't take though, and are ever accosted where a bad guy gets the drop on you, you may wish you had taken it; by then though, it likely will be to late to do you any good.
A hat tip to Wisco Dave for this post, over at Knuckledraggin My Life Away, where I first read about the guy losing his gun to the robbers.
All the best,
Glenn B
My guess is that the 'victim' had zero training in weapons retention, that he used a holster that begged for someone to grab his gun (in other words one that held the pistol in place with friction only and no retention devices such as thumb break snap) and that he had absolutely no clue about situational awareness or at least was not exercising it at the time he was robbed. Of course, I could be dead wrong on all of that. He might have had a holster with a retention device, been well versed in weapon retention and been totally aware of his situation at all times but I doubt it very much and regardless of all that - he was advertising that he had a handgun to be stolen by open carrying.
 |
| Not only is this person tempting fate by open carrying in a holster, apparently without additional retention devices, but he is also advertising his wallet. |
I think the victim's biggest problem was that he advertised that he was carrying. Even though I tend to exercise situational awareness (as opposed to what my wife would tell you) and even though I have been trained in firearms retention and have successfully utilized it more than once, and even though I was a firearms instructor (and still am so certified) and defensive training officer, and even though I carry in a holster with at least one retention device over and above mere friction - I rarely carry openly. For the record, rarely meaning usually only when at a range, hunting or walking around in my house. It makes no sense to me to open carry except when hunting or shooting at a range or in my home.
I live in NY, where open carry is mostly forbidden. Yet, even if I lived in Arizona, Alaska, New Hampshire or other places where it is legal to carry openly, I probably would not do so. I prefer that pistol be my ace in the hole and a big surprise that gives me the winning hand when I show it and if need be shoot it. I don't need to advertise to the world that I have it, at any given time, nor do I want to show it off and tempt others to take it away from me or to act like arsehats because I am carrying. That's because anyone can be jumped at any time and caught unaware, especially in urban situations where you are used to a lot of people around you. Even those of us with weapons retention training, who have a holster with a retention device or two, sometimes could have a weapon taken away from us if accosted by surprise, and or by someone stronger, and or by multiple assailants. Why give them an advantage or the temptation by letting them know you have a gun with you. I seriously doubt that you walk around with hundreds of dollars in plain view just begging to be robbed so why do likewise with a pistol.
Keeping your handgun concealed when legal, as opposed to open carrying and letting the world see it, is not always going to keep it from being taken away from you but it goes a long way toward them not trying to take it simply because they don't know you have it. Concealment is not the only thing that will help assure you retain your firearm but it is a good one. While there is no perfect solution, no end all be all method of perfect weapon retention, there are some other things that will help assure you keep retention of it. They are: carrying it in a high quality belt (not a clip on) holster with at least one or more retention devices, securing the holster to your person with a strong high quality belt, getting trained in (and practicing) weapon retention, and learning about and trying to maintain situational awareness so you can either avoid potential dangerous situations or at least be ready for them if you cannot avoid them. Having the right mindset, one that will actually lead you to accomplish all of the things I just mentioned is a good place to start.
Now, if you want to have a different mindset and whine, bitch and moan that all this is not for you but is just bullshit being spouted off by me - well, that's okay by me. If you wind up like Joe Knowitall Arsehat and have your gun stolen, or worse yet have it taken away and are then killed with it, I may shed a tear. Then again, you could have saved me that tear and you might have survived if only you hadn't known better.
Believe me when I say this, I do not give advice like this lightly, nor as a know-it-all gun guru or as a smugly superior former LEO nor as an elitist firearms instructor. I am none of those but I do give advice like this as someone in the know who has been there and done that - more than once. In other words, I have been lucky enough to have been in fights for my life, multiple times, where gun retention was the key to my survival because the bad guys were trying to take my gun away from me and kill me with it. I know that for a fact in one instance because that is what the defendant told the judge when he went to trial and then received time served and was deported by a leftist federal judge out in CA. I know for a fact in the other case because they kept telling me they were going to kill me and they tried their best to get that done.
I have the bite scar on my arm where the one tonk bit me after he failed to get my revolver away from me in my Border Patrol days. Another time I had at least five assailants kicking the crap out of me (they fractured my sternum and probably snapped my zyphoid process) as they took a handcuffed prisoner away from me and almost dragged me into Mexico because my arm somehow got tangled in the cuffs. That I am still here to write about it should tell you something and I am telling you it is because I held onto my gun.
Why is it I was able to hold onto my revolver in each of those instances? Well, because I was wearing a retention holster, was trained in firearms retention and practiced it, and had the mindset to fight like a mule and come out as the winner. Had my attackers not known where my gun was located because it had been concealed, I probably would have been even better off to begin with but I was obligated to open carry for my job. Man that was way back when and I am here today because they couldn't get it away from me. I've had other encounters where criminals and arsehats tried to take it from me even though it was concealed and in each of those cases they never came really close to getting it because it had been concealed.
So, as far as you taking my advice goes, don't take it as perfect. Anything I can say on the subject is not a failsafe and bad shit can still happen to you even if you do everything I recommended. The thing about it is though - that advice can also give you the winning edge. Take it or leave it, it is up to you. If you don't take though, and are ever accosted where a bad guy gets the drop on you, you may wish you had taken it; by then though, it likely will be to late to do you any good.
A hat tip to Wisco Dave for this post, over at Knuckledraggin My Life Away, where I first read about the guy losing his gun to the robbers.
All the best,
Glenn B
Suds, Suds And More Suds And Then Some
These are a couple of funny videos. The first one is funny and I included it here for obvious reasons other than it being just funny; the men will appreciate that.
The second one is absolutely hilarious and all else I will say about it is that the are lucky that the fat body did not have a heart attack or break his neck.
All the best,
Glenn B
The second one is absolutely hilarious and all else I will say about it is that the are lucky that the fat body did not have a heart attack or break his neck.
All the best,
Glenn B
I Would Much Prefer Cap Guns, Cork Guns and BB Guns...
...for my kids, if I still had young ones, to anything Nerf. Yet, even I have to admit that the Nerf Battle Racer looks pretty cool and like it's lots of fun. I would probably have to buy one for my son if he was still that young - that is if I was independently wealthy. Despite the fact that it can hold four weapons, has storage for extra Nerf darts, has ball bearing wheel hubs, can turn on a dime - I would not shell out almost $700 for it before taxes. Yes, that is just about the going price on Amazon as per this article.
Sure looks like fun though:
All the best,
GB
Sure looks like fun though:
All the best,
GB
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Mossberg 44 U.S. - U.S. Property
Tonight, I finished cleaning up the Mossberg 44 U.S. (a) rifle that I bought recently. While the rifle is in pretty nice condition, there were some disappointments I found when stripping it for cleaning but I'll hold off on that for another post. What I really want to post about now is a little info on my other Mossberg 44 U.S., the one marked U.S Property that I got from the CMP several years ago.
I took it out this evening to compare it to the newer one. There are some marked differences between them. Regarding the bolt assemblies, it was especially notable that there were different firing pins and different cuts in the bolt. The trigger assemblies were also different. The newer one, the 44 U.S. (a), which is a civilian market gun, has an adjustable trigger pull. The older military trainer, 44 U.S. marked U.S. Property does not have an adjustable trigger. The military trainer also has a serial number while the civilian or commercial version does not; Mossberg reportedly only started putting serial numbers on all of their guns in the 1960's, prior to that they only put serial numbers on military versions of the Mossberg 44 U.S. rifles.
I took a good look at the serial number on my 44 U.S.. It is a difficult to read because of the Parkerized finish of the rifle; however it is plain enough to see if your eyes are good. I had to double up two pairs of reading glasses to see it okay. The serial number is 101911. The neat thing about that is that as far as I can determine, that number means my 44 U.S. was manufactured in the first year of production for these rifles - 1943. Not only was it made in the first year of production but it was among those in the first contract for these rifles. The serial number rage in that first military contract for the 44 U.S. was 100,001-114,500 (source) which also means that my rifle was within the first 2,000 produced. I have no clue if it being manufactured with the first contract run, in the first year of production, makes it more valuable but I am guessing that to a diehard collector such might be the case. That really does not matter, I do not plan to sell it, it is a tack driver.
I can only hope that those in our military who trained with this rifle became deadeye shots because of it and that their shooting skills helped them survive WWII.
All the best,
Glenn B
I took it out this evening to compare it to the newer one. There are some marked differences between them. Regarding the bolt assemblies, it was especially notable that there were different firing pins and different cuts in the bolt. The trigger assemblies were also different. The newer one, the 44 U.S. (a), which is a civilian market gun, has an adjustable trigger pull. The older military trainer, 44 U.S. marked U.S. Property does not have an adjustable trigger. The military trainer also has a serial number while the civilian or commercial version does not; Mossberg reportedly only started putting serial numbers on all of their guns in the 1960's, prior to that they only put serial numbers on military versions of the Mossberg 44 U.S. rifles.
I took a good look at the serial number on my 44 U.S.. It is a difficult to read because of the Parkerized finish of the rifle; however it is plain enough to see if your eyes are good. I had to double up two pairs of reading glasses to see it okay. The serial number is 101911. The neat thing about that is that as far as I can determine, that number means my 44 U.S. was manufactured in the first year of production for these rifles - 1943. Not only was it made in the first year of production but it was among those in the first contract for these rifles. The serial number rage in that first military contract for the 44 U.S. was 100,001-114,500 (source) which also means that my rifle was within the first 2,000 produced. I have no clue if it being manufactured with the first contract run, in the first year of production, makes it more valuable but I am guessing that to a diehard collector such might be the case. That really does not matter, I do not plan to sell it, it is a tack driver.
I can only hope that those in our military who trained with this rifle became deadeye shots because of it and that their shooting skills helped them survive WWII.
All the best,
Glenn B
So, Her Shoulder May Wind Up Hurting...
...but the hot brass sure as hell isn't going to get stuck between them.
All the best,
GB
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| Source: http://i.imgur.com/AMcwG0o.jpg |
All the best,
GB
So Why Is Trump Still In The Lead...
...in the race for the Republican nomination? Many Republicans, who claim to be conservative, rant and rave against Trump saying he will be the end of the Republican Party and scratch their heads in wonder as to why he is doing so well. Sadly, they just don't seem to grasp the point that they, those RINOs (as in the ones doing the complaining), already put an end to the Republican Party as we knew it. It was they who allowed Trump to step right in and scoop up Republican votes with Cruz a fairly close second (another outsider if you listen to the RINOs).
How the RINOs can be so dumbfounded about Trump being so popular, mostly because of the ineptness of the Republican Party, is beyond me. I imagine it is that RINOs are just like liberals and leftists and find it difficult to accept responsibility for their shortcomings. Anyway,I can not say it as well as Ann Coulter said it, read what she said here:
http://freedomsback.com/ann-coulter/gop-baffled-as-voters-rally-to-popular-candidate/
I'd much rather see Cruz in the White House but even I have to admit, Trump is a better choice than any other candidate besides Cruz. I will have no problem voting for him if he wins the nomination and I will then just hope and pray he keeps half of his campaign promises. As for those among you who say they would never vote for Trump al I can say is that you had best wake up if he wins the nomination because otherwise it is going to be Clinton or Sanders taking the top spot. Heaven help us if so because then we may be left with no other recourse than prayer or revolution and prayer has not been working all that well over the past 7 plus years.
All the best,
Glenn B
 |
| Picture source. |
How the RINOs can be so dumbfounded about Trump being so popular, mostly because of the ineptness of the Republican Party, is beyond me. I imagine it is that RINOs are just like liberals and leftists and find it difficult to accept responsibility for their shortcomings. Anyway,I can not say it as well as Ann Coulter said it, read what she said here:
http://freedomsback.com/ann-coulter/gop-baffled-as-voters-rally-to-popular-candidate/
I'd much rather see Cruz in the White House but even I have to admit, Trump is a better choice than any other candidate besides Cruz. I will have no problem voting for him if he wins the nomination and I will then just hope and pray he keeps half of his campaign promises. As for those among you who say they would never vote for Trump al I can say is that you had best wake up if he wins the nomination because otherwise it is going to be Clinton or Sanders taking the top spot. Heaven help us if so because then we may be left with no other recourse than prayer or revolution and prayer has not been working all that well over the past 7 plus years.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
New Blog on The Blog Roll...
...it's Livin to Ride's Stuff n Things at:
http://livintoride65.blogspot.com/
It's listed under TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, NOT AT THEM over under the red zone to the right on my blog. Lots of pics of bikes, lots of women and some gun stuff so far.
All the best,
GB
http://livintoride65.blogspot.com/
It's listed under TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, NOT AT THEM over under the red zone to the right on my blog. Lots of pics of bikes, lots of women and some gun stuff so far.
All the best,
GB
I Never Knew An AR15 Kicked That Much...
...and I had to watch this video again and again and again to make sure she wasn't faking recoil. Heck, I am still watching it.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Signs of Spring
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The grass is getting green and the flowers are...well they are blossoming.
All the best,
GB
Hey President Obama, Still Think Your Deal With Iran Was So Great?
Iran is doing almost everything imaginable to violate the terms of our deal with them and to violate the latest UN resolution forbidding them from making purchases of military hardware. The Russians seem ready to sell to them. Who would have thunk that a country that made a deal with the Obamessiah would violate it before the ink was dry! See more here.
Makes me wonder, should we nuke them now or wait until they are capable of nuking us and we (or Israel) have incoming ICBMs from them.
All the ebst,
Glenn B
Makes me wonder, should we nuke them now or wait until they are capable of nuking us and we (or Israel) have incoming ICBMs from them.
All the ebst,
Glenn B
It's A Well Used AK From The Look Of It...
...and I would guess that the woman holding it knows how to use it.
All the best,
GB
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| I wonder if this pic ever made the cover of National Geographic. |
All the best,
GB
Saving The World - One Darwinite At A Time
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All the best,GB
So A Cop Sees You At The Moment You Decide To Take Out Your Knife...
...for whatever legitimate reason, maybe you and your wife are doing lawn work in front of your house and you need to cut something. When he sees you reach for your knife, your wife is, let's say, 40 feet away from you with her back to you. The cop shouts "Police, don't move" (which he does not have to do) but you are already in motion and keep pulling out the knife and the cop shoots you dead. Would the cop be justified? Maybe so if you were pulling out this knife:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Police-Style-Assisted-Opening/dp/B008XAV3N2/ref=pd_bxgy_468_img_3/181-1688275-6057660?ie=UTF8&refRID=0ZHDSJ21EZ183XH4R620
Why anyone would want to carry that type of a knife is beyond me because I think here are plenty of legitimate situations in which you could take it out and have it mistaken as a gun and thus have your intentions mistaken too. Hell, if I saw you pulling it out pointed at me, there is a chance I'd act in my own defense and quite possibly with deadly force.
All the best,
Glenn B
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Police-Style-Assisted-Opening/dp/B008XAV3N2/ref=pd_bxgy_468_img_3/181-1688275-6057660?ie=UTF8&refRID=0ZHDSJ21EZ183XH4R620
Why anyone would want to carry that type of a knife is beyond me because I think here are plenty of legitimate situations in which you could take it out and have it mistaken as a gun and thus have your intentions mistaken too. Hell, if I saw you pulling it out pointed at me, there is a chance I'd act in my own defense and quite possibly with deadly force.
All the best,
Glenn B
One Man's Trash...
...is not exactly my treasure (unless you want to pay me big bucks for it) but it certainly stands to become a useful piece of furniture in my life. I found this beauty, yesterday evening in Chinatown, on my way to a restaurant with my friend Pete. It was stuck between a wood kitchen chair and several trash bags at curbside. A cursory glance had me thinking it was good find and as we passed it I told Pete it would be mine, if still there when we got back and if in good condition. We spent a lot more time in the restaurant, evidently because the waiter forgot we had ordered a Peking Duck. Our guess was he had told the chef to cook it right after we ordered, but he had forgotten all about it since he later said we never ordered it. By the time we got it, probably over an hour and fifteen minutes after we ordered it, it was pretty well done and fairly dry for a duck. It took so long to get served, that halfway through it, Pete decided to go back out to the car, a few blocks away, to feed the meter. It was only good for two hours. When he came back, I asked if he had taken the chair and hidden it in the back of his SUV. He just gave me a sly smile and a bit of a chuckle.
Well, soon enough, we were out of the restaurant but not headed back toward the chair. We were off to a local store for something Pete needed for his kitchen. I figured if they didn't have at this place in Chinatown, no one has it locally. We got there just as a man and woman were hurriedly pulling a few outside displays off the street and back into he store. It was closing time by they graciously let us take a quick loo for the item Pete wanted. They had no clue what it was when he asked for a flame tamer but he found it in a few minutes with a different name on it. Regardless of the name of it, it was what he wanted and he scooped one up.
We trudged back toward the car (and that chair) through the snow, yeah it was pretty cold and snowing last night even though it's in the 50s right now, and as we walked I hoped the chair was still there and in good shape. As we got close, we could see it was still there. So, Pete hadn't grabbed it after all! I pulled it away from the trash and opened it up. At first glance, it looked to be in very good condition - dare I say - considering its age. I am guessing it was made in the sixties or earlier. I don't think these were made anymore in the seventies, maybe though it could be that young but probably not any younger. When I got it home, I saw there was a piece of clear packaging tape around one corner of he seat. I took it off, hoping the corner would not pull apart and was not disappointed. It looks as if maybe someone had glued the corner back together. It's quite possible the joint came loose being the chair must be pretty old. If someone did glue it back together, he did a good job.
Since there are no maker's marks or labels on the chair (there hay have been once upon a time), I am probably going to keep it and get some use out of it. Had there been a label on it, from a desirable maker, it may have been worth selling. Anyway, I should be able to put it to good use and have already sat in it this morning while starting to clean my latest firearms acquisition - a Mossberg 44 U.S.(a). The nice thing about it, besides it being in such good shape, is that when I don't need it I can fold it up and stash it away. It was one man's trash and while not my treasure, I certainly should get a lot of good use out of it.All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, February 15, 2016
Who In The World Sleeps With A Pillow Over Their Head?
Apparently, Antonin Scalia did just that because investigators looking into his death did not find it at all suspicious that when his body was found, his head was under a pillow. Everything else was supposedly neat, his hands folded on his chest, clothes not wrinkled, sheets not ruffled. It is almost as if Justice Scalia had died as soon as he got into bed otherwise wouldn't the bed and his clothing be ruffled and how did that pillow get over his head if his hands were folded on his chest! I guess maybe it absolutely must be that he himself put it there, then folded his hands over his chest and died immediately.
Although, one who is at all skeptical must wonder, could it be that maybe someone had suffocated him, then smoothed everything out and crossed his hands over his body and just left the pillow in place to show it had been a homicide. Or did the pillow wind up on his head due to the death throes of him having a heart attack - unlikely considering how they found everything else so unruffled. Of course, I suppose he really could have put the pillow there to block out light, instead of just using the blinders or whatever you call masks all high end resorts make available to their guest to place over their eyes when they sleep. I am just tossing stuff out there, let's face it folks, the investigators looking into this evidently have not done a lot of investigating considering the positioning of the pillow.
The owner of the resort has reportedly stated that he found Justice Scalia's body in that condition, head under pillow. Yet somehow, investigators say there were no signs of foul play. I would have thought that the death of a Supreme Court Justice, who supposedly was in good health, whose body was found with a pillow over his head, would have resulted in an autopsy being performed before a final statement as to the cause of his death. I say so if only because it is not normal for folks to sleep with a pillow over their heads; it makes it just a little stuffy when trying to breath so the great majority of folks do not do it.
Only in a faerie tale would I think it likely that an autopsy would not be done (or at least more of an investigation, and that it would be immediately accepted that the death was due to natural causes and thus everyone lived happily ever after in the kingdom of the Obamessiah. Then again, maybe this is a faerie tale since his death has been ruled as occurring because of natural causes by Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara. I kid you not, that is her name as reported in the media - Cinderela! Source. Of course, more investigation, that has not been reported in the media, may well have been done - such as the examination of hall surveillance tapes to see if anyone went in or out of his room besides him.
Anyway, with what has been reported so far, the conspiracy theorists and even normal skeptical folks are going to have a field day with this one.
All the best,
Glenn B
Although, one who is at all skeptical must wonder, could it be that maybe someone had suffocated him, then smoothed everything out and crossed his hands over his body and just left the pillow in place to show it had been a homicide. Or did the pillow wind up on his head due to the death throes of him having a heart attack - unlikely considering how they found everything else so unruffled. Of course, I suppose he really could have put the pillow there to block out light, instead of just using the blinders or whatever you call masks all high end resorts make available to their guest to place over their eyes when they sleep. I am just tossing stuff out there, let's face it folks, the investigators looking into this evidently have not done a lot of investigating considering the positioning of the pillow.
The owner of the resort has reportedly stated that he found Justice Scalia's body in that condition, head under pillow. Yet somehow, investigators say there were no signs of foul play. I would have thought that the death of a Supreme Court Justice, who supposedly was in good health, whose body was found with a pillow over his head, would have resulted in an autopsy being performed before a final statement as to the cause of his death. I say so if only because it is not normal for folks to sleep with a pillow over their heads; it makes it just a little stuffy when trying to breath so the great majority of folks do not do it.
Only in a faerie tale would I think it likely that an autopsy would not be done (or at least more of an investigation, and that it would be immediately accepted that the death was due to natural causes and thus everyone lived happily ever after in the kingdom of the Obamessiah. Then again, maybe this is a faerie tale since his death has been ruled as occurring because of natural causes by Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara. I kid you not, that is her name as reported in the media - Cinderela! Source. Of course, more investigation, that has not been reported in the media, may well have been done - such as the examination of hall surveillance tapes to see if anyone went in or out of his room besides him.
Anyway, with what has been reported so far, the conspiracy theorists and even normal skeptical folks are going to have a field day with this one.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Another Valentine For My Lady Readers
This is a photo of a winter blooming rose. I took the shot either a couple of days before Christmas 2015 or a couple days before New Years Day 2016, I cannot remember which but think it was just before Christmas. It was so warm out there is still an aphid in one of the folds of the flower.
All the best,
Glenn B
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